RG Abrey Farms, an East Anglian fresh produce company, that grows more than 100,000 tonnes of root vegetables a year, has opted for a Mototrbo system from DCRS to provide wide area coverage and connect its two sites, Wretham and Euston Estates, which are 14 kilometres apart.

The company’s analogue radio equipment had been declining for some time and could not withstand the impact of day to day working life on the farms, with users experiencing unreliable coverage in varying terrains and buildings. Wretham covers nearly 6,000 acres, while Euston Estate covers 10,500. The company also needed to ensure compliance with health and safety laws, given its more than 50 full-time employees and additional seasonal workers. RG Abrey Farms also required a communications system that could also boost its efficiency and productivity.

Once all RG Abrey Farms’ requirements had been clarified, DCRS’s engineering team performed radio propagation tests to check the coverage for each radio site, and gathered information on the achievable range, coverage, and grade of service. The antenna type, height, tilt and clearance for each radio site was also verified to ensure compliance with Ofcom regulations. Based on its findings, DCRS recommended a Mototrbo Digital Repeater IP Site Connect Solution.

For the tractors and associated farming vehicles, RG Abrey Farms opted for Mototrbo DM4400 & DM4600 Fixed Mobiles with individual IDs to allow the estates team to call them personally or within their particular user group.

As the staff roam between the two sites they are always within a radio coverage area and should they have an emergency every mobile is programmed with an emergency button to call for assistance/help.

The installation of the Mototrbo DM Fixed Mobiles was carried out by DCRS' senior engineers outside of the sites’ busy hours to minimise the impact on the farming staff and the duties they had to conduct.

The Estates Team was issued with Mototrbo DP4800 hand portable radios, which are IP57 rated and DCRS claims that these are ideal for the harsh farming environment, capable of withstanding “drops, knocks, the elements and whatever else is thrown at them”.

DCRS discussed the hand portables’ programming with the client to maximise its investment and a number of features were agreed upon including an emergency button (which is also on the mobile radios, text messaging, individual calling, the ability to remotely enable and disable radios and a radio check should a user not be responding to their messages. The Lone Worker feature can make the radios beep every 20 minutes giving the user 60 seconds to respond. If they don't within that time, the system will push a message out to all other users.

Land Mobile is the only monthly publication exclusively dedicated to wireless communications for businesses. Launched in 1993, this leading industry title provides practical advice, expert opinion and commentary and insightful, informative, truly authoritative editorial.